Intelligence 1 Flashcards
define intelligence
the capacity for abstract, logic, critical thinking
What does IQ stand for?
Intelligence Quotient
What does IQ mean?
an index of an individual’s intelligence score
How is IQ measured?
- verbal test
- non-verbal test
What is an advantage of non-verbal IQ tests
eliminates issues with:
- language
- verbal abilities
- cultural differences
What is the psychological debate surrounding intelligence?
nature vs nurture
whether or not intelligence is inherited or learned from our environment
What are some main issues with the history of studying intelligence?
- flawed, racist background
- Cyril Burt advised British government to use aptitude test to determine which children go to grammar schools
- his research suggested occupational levels and social class are due to innate levels of intelligence
- found that most of his arguments were fabricated
Give an example of non-verbal IQ test
- Raven’s progressive matrices
Define Genotype
genetic makeup of an organism
Define phenotype
the physical characteristic of an organism
- influenced by both genotype and environment
- this can be measured
What does degree to genetic relatedness do?
looking at people with various degrees of relatedness gives understanding of genetic basis of a concept
how far genetic play a role in basis of a concept
How can you investigate genetic relatedness?
twin studies
Define polygenic
a characteristic or trait determined by the interaction of more than two genes
What evidence is there to suggest intelligence is genetically determined?
- intelligence scores form a normal distribution curve
- meaning bell shaped curve is formed where majority of population is the mean score
- the pattern is known as polygenic feature
- polygenic feature is seen in genetically determined characteristic i.e.: height
- suggesting intelligence is genetically determined
Why is the normal distribution of intelligence flawed?
the definition of intelligence is atheoretical
Define ‘atheoretical definition of intelligence’
intelligence is what IQ tests measure
HOWEVER
there is no theory of intelligence that will determine what questions should be included in an IQ test
intelligence tests constructed based on how people perform in those tests
results from these are then taken to create a definition of what intelligence is
what is a positive about the IQ tests with testing intelligence?
IQ tests have high correlation with each other suggesting they are a valid way of measuring intelligence
What are two different types of theories about intelligence?
- intelligence is a single construct
- intelligence is a multiple construct
What does it mean for intelligence to be a single construct?
- idea that intelligence is a single construct that influences all cognitive functioning
- shown through correlations of performance on different tests
What does it mean for intelligence to be a multiple construct?
split intelligence into two types:
- fluid intelligence
- crystalized intelligence
define fluid intelligence
idea of cognitive functioning is not influenced by environment, it’s fixed throughout lifetime
- innate ability with things like problem solving etc.
- born with abilities, unchangeable
define crystallized intelligence
refers to intelligence that an change throughout lifetime
i.e.: could refer to stored factual information, benefits from schooling
these are your lived experiences that will contribute to how intelligent you are
How would you investigate to understand whether intelligence is determined by genes or the environment?
- by looking at individuals with various degrees of relatedness
- then seeing how much IQ’s correlate
Outline Bouchard & McGue (1981) study into intelligence and genetic/environmental relatedness
(twin study)
- 4,672 pairs of twins
(identical twins) genetic
- identical twins, shared same environment and same DNA
- found very high correlation in their IQ scores (0.9 correlation score)
- suggests there is a really strong genetic component to IQ
(identical twins) environmental difference
- also looked at identical twins raised apart (different environment)
- found a high correlation (0.72)
(non-identical twins) genetic
- share around 50% of DNA
- twins that were raised together
- found high correlation (0.60) in IQ scores
(non-identical twins) environmental
- looked at non-identical siblings raised apart
- here we see a very low correlation of 0.24
also found adopted children (genetically unrelated) children have a higher correlation in IQ test scores compared to
What environmental factors influence intelligence?
- environment in mother’s womb
- family environment
- an enriched, stimulating environment correlates with IQ
Explain environment in mother’s womb as an influence on intelligence
- mother’s overall health and lifestyle may have effect on foetus development
- poor health and lifestyle choices include: smoking, drinking, substance abuse
these can have effects on foetus development
Outline Elardo et al (1975) study that investigates family environment as an influence intelligence
- wanted to look at whether the quality of the environment in an early age would affect development of intelligence in children
- in 1970’s it was thought mothers are responsible for children
- so when looking at family, we look at what mothers do
so Elardo measured:
- when speaking to children, whether mother’s voice conveys positive feeling
- how much mothers structure child’s play periods
- how often mothers read stories, verbalize with them
- children were observed at 6 months and 24 months
- these children had their IQ tested at 3 years and 4.5 years
- rating of family (extent mother facilitates cognitive development) when child was aged 24 months correlated with IQ at 3 years old
- high correlation was found (0.7)
suggests role of family environment does influence intelligence - rating of family (extent mother facilitates cognitive development) when child was aged 6 months with IQ at 4.5 years
- quite strong correlation was found (0.44)
supports idea that environment and how much the parent is affecting the child’s IQ scores
What does a covariance between inheritance and environment refer to?
the idea that a child is intelligent because they inherited this genetically from their parents
OR
because parents are intelligent, they create an enriching, stimulating environment that aids their cognitive development
What does transactional process refer to with regards to intelligence?
the idea that intelligent children elicit intelligent responses that could potentially feed their own development further
essentially, child is feeding their own intelligence
What does transactional process and covariance between inheritance and environment make difficult?
makes the ability to distinguish whether it is genetics or environmental factors that are really influencing intelligence
Outline Benton and Roberts (1988) study into diet and nutrition influencing intelligence
- studied 6 yr old children
- 50% of sample took a vitamin supplement everyday for 3 months
- 50% took placebo
- IQ was measured before and after study
FINDINGS
- children in experimental group (supplement) had a greater IQ compared to control (placebo)
suggesting diet does influence intelligence
Outline Owen et al (2010) study into IQ and cognitive training
- had 11,430 ppts
- ppts took part in different tasks involved in cognitive training
- these tasks tested 5 different cognitive domains: Reasoning, Memory, Planning, Visuospatial skills and Attention
- did these tests repeatedly over 6 week training period
FINDINGS
- ppts became better at cognitive tasks they trained on
- these effects did not generalise to other everyday cognition
What does the confluence model (Zajonc, 1976) suggest about IQ and birth order?
- model suggests that first born children spend more time with intelligent adults
- as number of siblings increase, children spend more time with each other
- the interactions between children are not as stimulating as the ones between child and adult
What does the dilution model (Blake, 1981) suggest about IQ and birth order?
- same idea as confluence model
- first/only child spends significant time with adults, getting more attention
- number of siblings increase = parents time spent with each child decreases
- creates a less stimulating environment for younger children
What is the Flynn Effect?
- this is the idea that IQ increases overtime
- generation by generation, we become smarter
- IQ overall increases
What is the Flynn Effect?
- this is the idea that IQ increases overtime
- generation by generation, we become smarter
- IQ overall increases
What evidence is there for the Flynn Effect?
education, supportive parenting styles have improved over the years
supporting the idea that overtime, by generations, we become smarter (more intelligent)
Suggests there is a strong environmental component to intelligence
